Dutch bank to replace Magners as sponsors of Celtic League from next season

With his Celtic Rugby chairman’s hat on, Andy Irvine was probably rather
satisfied to be able to announce a new sponsor for the competition that has
been known as the Magners League for the past five years.

Tough for Scots: Celtic Rugby chairman Andy Irvine acknowledges Scottish sides do not have the resources of their Celtic League opponentsPhoto: PA

However, the former Lions full-back was not exactly brimming with optimism as he discussed the prospects of Scotland’s two professional sides at a Murrayfield news briefing on Wednesday.

The tournament, involving sides from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Ireland, will henceforth be known as the RaboDirect PRO12, following the signing of a four-year agreement with Rabobank, a Dutch-based co-operative bank.

Although the value of the deal has not been revealed, sources suggested that it represented a significant increase on the contribution from Magners, which was understood to be in the region of £500,000 per annum.

However, after securing the future of the Celtic competition — a term that has become something of a misnomer since the arrival of two Italian sides — Irvine admitted that things still look tough for Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Scottish professional teams whose steady progress in recent years was arrested last season as they dropped to eighth and 11th places respectively.

“We’ve got to be realistic and honest,” said Irvine. “Last season wasn’t particularly clever for our pro teams. Glasgow were unfortunate with serious injuries. Compared to the bigger Irish and Welsh clubs we do have smaller squads, so the impact of injuries is magnified.

“It will be tough next season, there’s no doubt of that. But we have to accept that were not in the same fortunate position as some of our competitors. Ireland in particular is generating a huge amount of money.’’

With a number of top Scottish players about to move out of the country, and with no big-name signings coming in, supporters of both clubs have begun to express disquiet over the Scottish Rugby Union’s stewardship of the professional game.

Irvine offered a hint that the financial restrictions might be relaxed a little, but generally backed the Union’s prudent approach.

Irvine said: “There are definite challenges. It’s not easy. But I certainly wouldn’t like to see Scotland being irresponsible by spending money that they don’t have, ending up with a massive debt and a bigger problem than five years ago.

“We don’t have the luxury of some of the other countries. We’ve got to be much more efficient.”

Rabobank evolved as a federation of credit unions and local banks, its interests primarily focused on Dutch agriculture and small businesses. Its major rugby tie-up has been the Melbourne Rebels Super 15 team.